Ocieanna
Birthday Love
My Facebook post from yesterday (my birthday): “Wow do I feel loved! Thank you for all the birthday wishes.” If you’re on Facebook, you know what I mean. I got over a hundred birthday wishes–a hundred! Those little notes may seem unimportant, but not to me. I felt showered in love, love, love. Another…
Read MoreAccepting Life’s Ups and Downs
I look at that last blog post talking about how I re-gained my energy level and think—wow, I was feeling so good back then. I also notice how I feared it would drop again. It did. In October my energy level plummeted (which is why I stopped posting on here). I learned something though, which made…
Read More5 Ways I Boosted my Energy Level
Hi awesome mommies! Many of you know I’ve been struggling with a low energy level since my cardiac arrest. There may be several reasons for this, some physical, some emotional (to be a little raw here). Lately I’ve been doing so. much. better. Holy cow! To be honest I’m scared that it will drop again…
Read More“My Heart is Ever at Your Service”
My heart is ever at your service. William Shakespeare Hi awesome mommies, As a romance writer I love that quote from the bard. Can’t you just see the handsome, muscular hero pledging his deep love to the heroine? But the more I think about it, the more layers I see for me as a…
Read MoreAre You a Lifeguard Mom or Grace Mom?
Hi awesome mommies! If you’ve read my blogs or Facebook posts lately, you know we go to the lake a lot in the summer (at least on sunny days–not guaranteed up here in the Northwest). The other afternoon we traipsed down to the lake and, as usual, I was impressed with the safe structure the lifeguards gave…
Read MoreThe Joy of Unstructured Play Time
Hi awesome mommies! As I sit here writing, I can hear Abigail and Christian’s laughter. I honestly don’t know what they’re doing. Something naughty? Definitely possible. Whatever it is, they’re having fun. And the best part is, it’s fun they created. Part of the awesomeness of summer is our flexible schedule. We don’t have to…
Read MoreThe Power of “No”: 2 Tales of Whining
Hi awesome mommies, As a parent, saying no is hard. Really hard sometimes. Here are a few examples from my life. Whining in Alaska I was fourteen when my dad took me on a trip to Alaska. For part of the time (while he fished for salmon over…
Read MoreLord, Help My Kids Know Your Love
Hi awesome mommies, I really love the book, The Power of a Praying Parent, by Stormie Omartian. She uses Scripture to create beautiful, pertinent, powerful prayers. Her prayers guide me on how to pray for my children. Here’s the one I’ve been praying this week. I insert my own kids’ names. Lord, I pray for…
Read MorePerformance-Oriented Me: An Honest Look
“Ocie,” (folks called me Ocie back then) “you’re performance oriented. A people pleaser.” I remember the scene so well. I was about 17, sitting on the gorgeous grounds of my high school on an off day during the summer. Monty, my youth leader, said those words. Yep. Pretty much describes me. Over the years I’ve…
Read MoreBible Memory! Five Games to Beat Boredom and a Secret Weapon that WORKS
Going over memory verses can get a little boring—escpecially for our wee ones with tiny attention spans. Secret Weapon that REALLY Helps One almost magical trick I’ve learned is so simple! If they understand what they are memorizing and, even better, make connections to it memorizing comes naturally. For example, today we’re memorizing, “Look at the…
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